Crease maintaining belt



Oct. 16, 1956 v. STIGLIN GREASE MAINTAINING BELT Filed April 6, 1954 INVENTOR. V/A/CE W" 577 4 A TTO/QIVEXSI United States Patent 2,766,45Q CREASE MAINTAINING- BELT Vincent Stiglin, West New York, N. J. Application April 6, 1954, Serial No. 421,220

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-339) This invention. relates to apparatus for use in conjunction with garments which must be gripped around the waist of the wearer, more particularly waistbands or belts adapted for use on trousers or'skirts- In the past, when such articles of manufacture have been employed, it was found'necessary to remove the belt or waistband from the garment i'nconjunction with which it was used, whenever it was desired to store or lay aside the garment While not in use. Thus, in order to hang trousers after removing them, it is necessary either to hang the trousers by the cuff or remove the belt. In

the former instance disadvantages resulting from the pres- I ence of conventional belts are encountered which prevent the trousers from retaining their crease. The presence of a conventional belt causes the body portion of the trousers to billow outward when stored, or laid aside, whereby they lose their crease.

The same difiiculties are encountered with skirts when belts are used to support them. In order to conveniently hang the skirt, maintaining any desired creases or folds, it is necessary to remove the belt employed.

It is with the above problems in mind that the present belt construction has been evolved. An article of manufacture is accordingly here presented which serves the waist gripping and ornamental function of conventional belts, but which is not subject to the same limitations as conventional belts are when the clothing in conjunction with which these belts are used is stored, hung or laid aside after removal by the wearer.

This ornamental crease preserving belt achieves its function by the incorporation of linking structures positioned between belt segments, each segment having a length equal to the distance between folds of the garment in conjunction with which employed.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a belt or waistband structure used in conjunction with garments, such as trousers or skirts, which will permit such structure to remain with the garment when the garment is stored, or temporarily laid aside.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a belt, and method of producing same, which will serve to maintain desired creases in garments when they are stored with the belt in them.

Yet another object is to enable the garments to hang compactly at belt-band, instead of upside-down by the cuffs.

A further object of this invention is to provide a waistband or belt structure having links on an ornamental nature.

Another object of this invention is to provide a belt, and method of producing same, specially adapted for mens trousers, whereby said belts may be left in the trousers when said trousers are hung or stored, or laid aside casually or overnight, serving to maintain any desired creases or folds in the trousers.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a linked belt wherein said links serve a decorative orna- 2. mental effect and serve also to permit said belt to serve as a crease maintainer in the stored or idle garment.

Another object of this invention is to'provide a linked belt structure and method of producing same, particularly adapted for use in conjunction withwomens skirts 0r slacks, wherein said belt may be stored with the skirts or slacks and aid in preserving any desired folds or creases in these garments.

These and other objects of the invention which will appear more clearly in the following specification and claims are achieved by means of the linked belt segments more fully described and illustrated in connection with the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the linked belt structure.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the belt in position in a garment here shown as a pair of trousers folded uprightly at all its front and back creases.

Fig. 3 is a view of the belt in folded position as it would appear in a stored or idle garment, on a larger scale.

Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are detailed views gested link structures.

In the drawings, 1 designates a linked belt having a plurality of belt segments 10, 11, 1'2, 13, 14' and 15. Each of said segments is flexibly linked together by means of flexible linking elements 16. These links will be more fully described in conjunction with Figs. 4 to 8. As readily seen in Fig. l, the belt segments are varied in size. As best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the size of these belt segments is determined by the dimensions of the articles of clothing in conjunction with which the belt is used. It will be seen, for example, that when used in conjunction with a pair of trousers the distance from the front crease 19 of the pants leg to the rear crease 18 of the pants leg determines the length of segments 11 and 14. The length of segments 12 and 13 is determined by the distance between the rear crease and the center seam of a pair of trousers. The length of segments 10 and 15 is determined by the distance between the front creases and fly of the trousers.

It should be emphasized in conjunction with the dimensions of the various belt sections that they are here illustrated and described as determined by various trousers dimensions, but that these dimensions, employing the same inventive principles, may readily be deter mined by distances between folding lines on garments, such as skirts, slacks, etc.

The specific links employed to connect the segments must be sufficiently flexible so as to permit the various belt segments to be readily folded over one on the other, embracing the folded waistband material of the garment compactly within each folded segment in the belt. Several links serving this function have been evolved. Since belts are used in conjunction with garments not only to cause the garment to be held at the waist of the wearer, but also largely for ornamental purposes, links have been developed which have the requisite flexibility and desired ornamental effect.

In Figure 4 links are formed by means of thin ornamental wire strands. A plurality of these strands 20 are looped back upon themselves and driven by means of rivets 21 into the belt segment which is to be attached. Between the loops a diamond-shaped element 22 is interlaced, producing the decorative links herein shown.

The embodiment of link employed in Figure 5 employs two plates 31 and 32, one on each side of the segments to be linked, held together about said segments by means of rivets 33 and curved to produce eye elements 34 at the extremities of said segments. Through these eye elements rectangular coupling 35 having a width no wider than the width of the belt, is passed. The coupling 35 of some sug- Patented Oct. 16, 1955 is of such size horizontally as to permit the folded waist region material of the garment to remain compactly within and between the outer and inner folding of the corresponding belt segments to 15, as arranged in Figure 3.

Figure 6 shows a link having plates 41 and 42 which are V-shaped in outline.

Figure 7 illustrates rounded plates 51 and 52. It is apparent that these plates may readily be modified in shape to give any desired design.

In the construction shown in Figure 8 the two belt segments 61 and 62 are joined by a link consisting of an easily foldable piece of fabric 63 which is sewn to the segments 61 and 62.

In use the belt is positioned in the garment in conjunction with which it will be worn and employed conventionally. It is only when the garment is removed and hung for storage or laid down that the advantages of the belt become manifest, for it is at this time readily appreciated that the belt now serves to maintain the garment in a position of desired folding.

Another and most important feature of the present invention is that the garment may be conveniently hung at and by the belt region, and not by the cuffs, as in prior art.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact disclosure herein described but may lend itself to a variety of expressions within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A belt adapted to be Worn with trousers having two front creases and two rear creases, said belt comprising two elongated side sections of equal length, two shorter rear sections of equal length, two front sections and hinges connecting the ends of a side section with the end of an adjacent rear section and with an end of an adjacent front section, and a hinge connecting the adjacent ends of the rear sections, each of said hinges having a pivotal portion and two section-engaging portions spaced from each other by said pivotal portion, the length of each side section being proportioned to be equal to the distance between a front crease and a rear crease of the trousers with which they are to be worn and the length of the two rear sections being proportioned to be substantially equalto the distance between the rear creases of said trousers.

2. A belt in accordance with claim 1, wherein said belt sections consist of a relatively inflexible material, whereby said belt serves as a trousers presser when the trousers carrying the belt are folded.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 472,052 Holdsworth Apr. 5, 1892 615,133 Bienenzucht Nov. 29, 1898 670,726 Pierce Mar. 26, 1901 767,941 Hartung Aug. 16, 1904 873,389 Stanford Dec. 10, 1907 1,324,043 Greene Dec. 9, 1919 1,470,510 Taylor Oct. 9, 1923 

